Traveling Cowboys: The Best View for Spot Prawns in the Bow Valley at Juniper Bistro, Banff, Alberta

Spot Me a Prawn

Chef Angus An of Vancouver’s Maenam Restaurant is a good friend of Chef Chris Irving. Chris is a good friend of ours, so we managed an invitation to see what Angus can do with a very precious Canadian delicacy - Spot Prawns.

It is part of the "Chef's Series" hosted at the Juniper Bistro in Banff, where Chris invites his best friends from around the world to cook for the sophisticated palates of the Bow Valley.

Yeh! Spicy street food! This was what we thought when we heard Thai and Prawns. What we discovered were the familiar flavor explosions you'd expect from Thai. Yet, it was done with a sophisticated bistro twist. If fermented rice sorbet gets your attention, then join us for the highlights of the evening as it unfolded.

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Three things came together, and a fourth was missing.

Let's start with the star of the attraction. The venue, Juniper Bistro is arguably the restaurant with one of the best views in Banff. Chris confessed that his famous chef friends are all too eager to make the trip up the valley. When they hear Banff and Juniper Bistro, they don't need a second invitation. The setting makes it a sought after opportunity to cook in a place that is on the bucket list of many travelers. The view of the evening of the 23rd of May didn't disappoint. It was Spring. The valley was green. The waters were turquoise and the sky, a powdery blue. The setting was perfect for a pinnacle food event.

Secondly, two very talented chefs collaborated in a special menu to celebrate the start of the highly-anticipated Spot Prawn season. Angus and his restaurant Maenam is the reigning champion of “Restaurant of The Year” in the Vancouver Magazine‘s Restaurant Awards. He has held a Gold rating for Best Thai since 2009. Maenam is considered #32 in Canada’s 100 Best. The second member of the team, Chris Irving, is used to rub shoulders with celebrities. He cooked for David Beckham and his family three days a week. The other two days for Gordon Ramsay. Now we are fortunate that he cooks for us, the Two Cowboys, in the Bow Valley.

Number three, the Spot Prawns, were flown in alive and fresh for the day of the dinner directly from the icy waters of the Pacific Ocean. Wild BC Spot Prawns are a delicacy known around the world for their sweet, delicate flavor and firm texture. They are most recognizable for their reddish brown color which turns bright pink when cooked.

Observations

We had the view, the talent, and the ingredient. What could be missing? This is where we may ruin our newly formed friendships.

We loved the evening. Everything was perfect. The service was outstanding! The prawns were poached, grilled, crackered, oiled and downed to perfection. However, we missed the familiar spiciness and heat of Thai. In our opinion, the chefs were not at fault. We know it is hard to balance delicate flavors and make a very fragile ingredient the hero of an extensive and creative menu. Rather, it is something else that is all too familiar when authentic oriental foods are involved. In our opinion, something is wrong with the Canadian palate.

It reminded me of a chefs' revolt we witnessed a couple of years ago when an authentic Indian restaurant opened in Okotoks. The chefs were principally imported from India to provide a truly authentic curry experience. After two months of Vindaloo complaints, they refused to cook one more curry and packed their bags promptly back to Bangalore. The chefs refused to adjust the authentic recipes and departed for a market where their cooking is appreciated.  The verdict? Canadians cannot stand the heat.

If there was one thing missing from the evening, it was the heat. I have a suspicion that if we met Chris and Angus in a more private setting, it would be there. Until then, we will have to settle for "Canadian Thai" - if there ever was such a thing.

Hendrik van Wyk

Hot Cowboy

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Photos

Final Touches 

Prawn Team

The Hero

Complexity

Appreciation

Traveling Cowboys: Smithbilt Hats Enhancing Personalities Since 1919 in Calgary, Alberta

Oldish New Beginnings

Smithbilt Hats recently moved to a new location just down the street from their previously located spot. It is a 120 year old reclaimed and repurposed feed store building from a grain elevator that burned down in the sixties.

The former was incorporated into the new with the rebirth of the building thanks to some architectural ingenuity, perseverance from the builders and an appreciation and time-honored commitment to the classical roots of the business.

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The new building is breathing fresh air into the century-old hat manufacturing business we’ve come to love and admire. It provides additional space for new additions such as a woman’s millinery line and a multi-function room for small events. 

You can still pick your hat and have it shaped or serviced right there by Brian and his team. Because of the addition of a female touch, you can now also get your personality enhanced by accessories that Holly Allen and her team append to your hat. It adds to the unique experience and definitely improves your appearance.

Smithbilt has a strong commitment and connection with the Calgary Stampede. This year, it will be part of the maker’s hall. For the 150th Canada birthday celebration the Stampede is including this new initiative to help showcase the various maker arts and crafts associated with the Western heritage and culture of the show. It will include famous and new artists in buckle making, saddle making, apparel and more. Smithbilt will showcase hat making and demonstrate its unique hat shaping skills right on the floor of the exhibition. You will be able to walk away with your own hand-shaped Calgary-made Western hat.

Observations

Holly made a vital point during our most recent visit to Smithbilt. According to her, in the same way, an accessory completes an outfit, a hat gives a person personality. We were wondering if it is such a powerful contributor to a person’s identity, then surely people should take hat wearing a lot more serious. What you wear on your head and how you wear it tells a big story about you, your history, identity and outlook on life.

We made the discovery that Smithbilt has been giving personality to countless people since 1919. If they can’t help you, then probably, no one can. In our case, we have personality. Our Smithbilt hats are therefore merely enhancing it. That is why we wear ours proudly and with attitude.

Hendrik van Wyk

Enhanced Cowboy

We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. Please support us and get VIP privileges like early access to content and special offers. Alternatively, please sponsor us: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com. It helps us to promote our local people, businesses, and events and to keep entertaining you.

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Old Stuff With Stories

A Lifetime of Stories

New Stories

Initializing

Personality Enhancement

Traveling Cowboys: 2017 Feast and Frolicking and SmokinQ some BBQ at Lynnwood Ranch, Okotoks, Alberta

BBQ Feast

It's not BBQ. It is chef inspired gourmet cooking with locally sourced Alberta produce. Alberta Pork, Beef, Chicken, Alberta smoke and truly amazing Alberta BBQ talent.

Gus Leduc and his team at Lynnwood Ranch hosted the annual KCBS' Alberta Chapter, BBQ on the Bow, for the seasonal kick-off of Alberta's 2017 low and slow BBQ competitions. If this sounds like a mouthful, let me explain.

The Kansas City Barbecue Society (KCBS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and enjoying barbecue. It is the world's largest organization of barbecue and grilling enthusiasts with over 20,000 members worldwide. KCBS sanctions over 500 barbecue contests worldwide. The annual event at Lynnwood Ranch is one of three in Alberta where a team can earn a ticket to the annual World Championships in the U.S.A.

Here is the first of two videos to showcase the events of the May 12 weekend.

Feast and Frolick and SmokinQ

Video 1 of 2: Feast and Frolic

Video 2 of 2: SmokinQ

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The Feast and Frolic precede the SmokinQ competition to give the BBQ teams a fantastic feast, a dance and a chance to be judged on the preparation of inspirational food items outside the KCBS criteria. Almost 300 people attended the event to sample from a series of starter dishes prepared by the teams. It was accompanied this year by Gus' own outstanding smoked brisket and "Alberta" salmon.

Competition day is known as SmokinQ. This year 35 teams competed with a fair number of newcomers to the "sport" of BBQ. I questioned Steve Alvarez (the KCBS representative in attendance) on why it is referred to as a "sport"? He clarified, "There is a lot of physical activity that goes into preparing good Southern Style BBQ. It can take up to 18 hours to have the food prepared perfectly and on time for judging". We here mistakenly thought that to eat BBQ was the sport!

Observations

The hospitality at Lynnwood Ranch was as usual, outstanding. There was nothing too much for Gus and Wendy when we wheeled in our Motorhome on Saturday afternoon ahead of the Feast and Frolic. They are the perfect hosts.

If there is one thing that stands out in the BBQ community other than the great food, it is the community and the friendships amongst the people involved. People from different locations, as far as Manitoba come to the event. They are from diverse backgrounds, varying levels of cooking skills and experience. All of them come together for a fabulous weekend around their love for a particular type of food. If you were ever looking for a real festival of food, then this is the single best place to experience it all first-hand.

We are glad we can be part of it all and tell the stories of the people involved.

Hendrik van Wyk

Brisket Cowboy

We earn our livelihood from producing great content about inspiring people and their stories. We use Patreon to help us earn from our work. Please support us and get VIP privileges like early access to content and special offers. Alternatively, please sponsor us: http://www.travelingcowboys.com or Donate to our cause on GoFundMe: http://www.forwardthefavour.com. It helps us to promote our local people, businesses, and events and to keep entertaining you.

Photos

We have a thousand photos. See all the event photos here.

Competition Time

Arrival

It is Called a Braai